Saturday, April 20, 2013

Gabapentin Side Effects - Mood Disorders

Gabapentin refers to an anti-epileptic medication, or anticonvulsant, which affects body nerves and chemicals involved in seizures and several kinds of pain. Gabapentin can be used on its own or along with various other medications for the treatment of epilepsy seizures within people aged 12 and above, or partial seizures within people younger than 12. It is also used in the treatment of nerve pain from shingles or herpes. Several gabapentin side effects exist, so be careful; and, if you happen to be allergic to this medication, steer clear of it.

Take note that you might get suicidal thoughts when taking this medicine, so your healthcare provider will need to thoroughly check on you through regular visits. Never miss a schedule appointment, just in case. If you experience any bad or new gabapentin side effects, like behavior or mood changes, anxiety, depression, agitation, hostility, restlessness, physical or mental hyperactivity, or suicidal thoughts, get in touch with your healthcare provider at once.

If you are taking gabapentin because of seizures, never stop taking it without talking to your healthcare provider first, even though you might be feeling better. Your seizures might increase in amount if you suddenly stop taking gabapentin, so you have to lessen your dosage slowly before getting off it completely. Get in touch with your healthcare provider if seizures get even worse or if they occur more often during your gabapentin therapy.

Patients who get these gabapentin side effects need to get in touch with their healthcare providers right away. The common ones include unsteadiness, uncontrollable eye movements, and clumsiness. The less common ones include irritability, depression, decreased memory, and other thought or mood changes. The rare ones include lower side or back pain, difficulty urinating, cough, hoarseness, fever or chills.

Usually, multiple gabapentin side effects could also occur. Although such side effects tend to vanish alone, you should get in touch with a healthcare provider if they are extremely troublesome or last long. The common ones include blurry vision, muscle pain or weakness, swelling, shaking or trembling, and increased weakness or fatigue. The less common ones include constipation, back pain, diarrhea, dry eyes and mouth, frequent urination, indigestion, headache, nausea, runny nose, difficulty sleeping and thinking, slurred speech, weight gain, nausea or vomiting, weakness, and twitching.

Children under the age of 12 who get these more common gabapentin side effects also need to check with a healthcare provider right away: aggressive behavior, anxiety, irritability, difficulty paying attention and concentrating, crying, mood swings, depression, increased hyperactivity, emotionality, distrust or suspiciousness.

Other caregivers and your family need to pay attention to your mood and possible gabapentin side effects, too. Nobody knows if gabapentin can harm unborn babies, so before you take this medication, let your healthcare provider know whether you are already pregnant or have plans of getting pregnant during your treatment. It is also possible for gabapentin to get into the breast milk and might harm nursing babies, so never take it without letting your healthcare provider know that you have a breastfeeding baby.

Gabapentin refers to an anti-epileptic medication, which affects body nerves and chemicals involved in seizures and several kinds of pain. Several gabapentin side effects exist, so be safe and find out what they are here.

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